Wai Law Completes 200-Mile Run for Parkinson’s Research and Local Food Charity

Wai Law ran 200 miles over Labor Day weekend, completing 50 four-mile loops in Levittown.

Wai Law achieved two unbelievable goals over the Labor Day weekend - he ran 200 miles in just under 55 hours, and raised more than $20,000 doing it.

Law, an accountant and ultramarathon runner from Bethpage, NY, completed 50 four-mile loops in Levittown in his fourth and most ambitious charity run, raising money and awareness for the Thomas Hartman Center for Parkinson's Research and Agape Meals for Kids.

The Hartman Center is dedicated to understanding the causes and symptoms of Parkinson's disease and is part of the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Stony Brook University. Agape Meals for Kids addresses childhood hunger and food insecurity faced by children on Long Island.

Supported along the way by local runners, Law stopped to rest for only 10 minutes or so after each loop, running all day and through the night to accomplish his goal.

Wai Law (right) with friend and fellow ultra runner Dennis Almodovar, after completing 50 four-mile laps for 200 miles.

In 2021, Law ran across New York State from Buffalo to New York City, raising more than $40,000 - $22,555 for Parkinson's disease research at Stony Brook and $17,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In 2022, he completed a loop around the entire perimeter of Long Island, raising nearly $20,000 for Parkinson's research and the Adolescent Medicine Fund for Excellence, which helps Stony Brook's Department of Adolescent Medicine provide mental health support and other critical resources to young people on Long Island.

Law's goal was to raise $20,000 and as of September 3, he eclipsed that figure by almost $1,000, with donations from 110 people. The "Run 4 Miles" campaign will continue through October 6, so there is still time to support the cause. Visit the campaign web page to make a donation.

Law was first inspired to run for Parkinson's research after his close friend and fellow ultra runner, Dennis Almodovar of Massapequa, NY, lost his father to Parkinson's disease in 2017. Law said Parkinson's "not only affects the patient, but also their families, and it's also something you rarely hear about."

The Hartman Center was established in 2013 within the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Stony Brook University, thanks to a generous gift from the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research, matched by the Simons Foundation. Each year, the center awards grants to support innovative research projects at Stony Brook University, aiming to advance understanding of Parkinson's disease and develop new therapeutic approaches.

Alfredo Fontanini, professor and chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, said working with Law to raise awareness of Parkinson's Disease is "an incredibly meaning relationship for us at the Hartman Center. It's a sincere friendship, it's a partnership. Two hundred miles in 48 hours - it's a lot. I am incredibly appreciative."

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